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Monday, April 18, 2011

Guess Who I just seen at the Airport!!!

We now have 10 days until the 2011 NFL DRAFT. This is the final days were teams can bring players in on official visits. But before you get excited, you should realize that everyone your team brings in is not on your team's draft board. There are five types of visits in my opinion. And figuring out where this player stands is the most important piece to tell if your team is interested.

The first type of visit is the "They are interested in drafting me" visit. This is usually reserved for the projected 1st through 4th round players. Teams will bring them in to get to know them better because they are genuinely interested in sending that players name to the podium at the end of the month. They may even bring them in with other players at your position to try and find something that will separate the players besides what is on the field. If the player is outside that range but still goes on a visit. Ask yourself did the team personally work the player out. If they worked him out then brought him in, they may be high on this player and he is on their board at some point.

The next visit is the "They like me, but don't LIKE me visit". Despite the name, this isn't such a bad visit. This visit is reserved for a team to basically recruit you for a free agent contract after the draft. Whether the reason being, they don't have enough draft picks, there are other pressing needs that they have to fill, or that there is a disagreement within the organization. Whatever the reason, these players are draftable players on other team's boards, just not on your teams. But someone within the organization is high on this guy, and believe they can make the team as an UDFA.

Next we have the, "They just don't know me" visit. These visits are for guys who may have came out of nowhere their senior year, or played at a small school, and teams are scrambling to gather as much information about these guys as possible. Again, this visit could be a chance for the team to sell you to other members of the organization or to sell you on the prospect of joining their team as an UDFA.

"I feel like I'm being interrogated" is our next class of visits. These visits are information gathering visits. You may have an injury, and they want to do a physical. Or they heard rumors of drug use, and want to give you a test. Maybe you can't understand plays, so they draw them on the board. Or maybe, (and yes this has happened) they are bringing you in to ask you about your teammate. Yes, this does happen. They're not really interested in you, but your teammate, so they wine and dine you for information.

The last visit is the "Smokescreen". They are not interested in you plain and simple. But they bring the guy in so someone else can think they are interested in that player, and trade up or overdraft, or whatever they do. Why? Just so the team won't tip they're hand in who they are going to draft.

I hope this gave some kind of insight to visits and why agents don't get to excited over some, or depressed over lack of some. If you like, let me know, dislike, let me know too.

Until tomorrow… "May you not only be blessed, but a blessing to others as well"